


The Ship of Theseus

by nashetania



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Love Confessions, M/M, Sibling Incest, canon typical Hinata anxiety, mentioned reiritsu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:46:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29218959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nashetania/pseuds/nashetania
Summary: "Being in love with your brother isn’t how the movies make love out to be."Hinata has love troubles.A soft pining story. Set some time after Setsubun.
Relationships: Aoi Hinata/Aoi Yuuta
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	The Ship of Theseus

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this fic for a long time! The recent 2wink event was so much fun; it really inspired me to finally finish it. 
> 
> It's incredibly self indulgent, but the twins love each other very much and I love them as well.

It’s the way Yuuta’s fingers curl around his when he pulls Hinata away from the roof, maybe, or the way the sunset makes the colour in his hair more distinct, or even the way his smile is bright and cheerful and only a little sad, the sort of thing Hinata’s gotten good at faking but Yuuta can do so easily and honestly. It’s these things, Yuuta being so close and real, that make it seem like he’s truly seeing this person in front of him for the first time in fifteen years.

It’s these things that really drive everything home.

It’s not a new realization, not by any means, but Hinata is good at pushing away things he doesn’t want to think about— and that goes for most things about himself, in favour of nicer things.

Nicer things like Yuuta’s smile and Yuuta’s figure in front of him as he pulls Hinata along and Yuuta’s warmth and Yuuta’s— he stops himself. That’s too much right now.

And yet the beating of his heart is hard to ignore now, strong and matching the pulse that he can feel through Yuuta’s fingers, and it’s in that moment that Hinata knows he’s absolutely, irredeemably, indubitably, fucked.

Yuuta is still leading him onward, back to the stage to celebrate his prize, and he wonders if he notices, the slight slip in his step, the sweat clinging to his palm, but all Yuuta does is throw a sidelong glance back at him.

“Come on.” Yuuta says brightly. “We’re going to be late.”

So even if it’s hard, Hinata laughs and jogs up a little more. Everything is easier with Yuuta beside him. He can think on all of this later, for now he can content himself with this, with Yuuta’s warmth and his smile and his hand in his.

When he dances with Yuuta, singing against the blossoms, he thinks that there’s no place he’d rather be.

-

Later, it turns out, is in his classroom several weeks later, tired and a little desperate and still hopelessly lovesick.

Being (absolutely, irredeemably, indubitably) in love with your brother isn’t how the movies make love out to be. It’s not the kind of thing he and Yuuta would watch from the old boxes their mother had left behind, overly saccharine and glowing; it’s a slow curl in his gut that resembles anxiety more than anything else.

He’s trying to be honest these days, and he knows that if Yuuta notices there’s something up he won’t let him rest this time, but this is the one thing he desperately doesn’t want him to know. Not because Yuuta doesn’t deserve his feelings or honesty, he’d give them all to him in a second if he asked, but he can’t help the guilt and fear that comes along with it.

And also, if he’s being really, _really_ honest, the warming temperatures and the light shirts Yuuta’s been wearing at home don’t help matters at all.

Hinata buries his head in his arms in the classroom and groans.

It’s frustrating and now that he’s started to think about wanting things for himself he can’t stop the flow of his own desires, as much as he wishes they would go away. Thinking of your brother like that is definitely the worst, right?

Would Yuuta disown him if he went and became a circus clown? Because he’s definitely considering it right now. He can pull off the wig and nose, he’s sure.

It’s been kind of eating him alive though, ever since he realized exactly how deep he’s fallen, and he’s at a loss as to exactly what he should do. He knows he can’t hide it away forever, Yuuta isn’t even inobservant, and he’d be happy with a rejection too if it meant he could stop being so hopeful and full of romantic ideals like imagining the way it would taste to kiss Yuuta or holding his hand but having it mean something entirely different. It’s just—

He doesn’t want Yuuta to hate him.

He just wishes that were even possible because god does Hinata hate himself a lot right now.

-

“Sakuma-senpai?”

Hinata knocks on the door frame of the light music club room well after hours, but it’s not like Sakuma Rei has ever cared about keeping a decent schedule. It makes him easy to track down though, since he naps his days away in his coffin, so despite the hassle it can be to wake him up in time for club practice, Hinata doesn’t really mind.

There’s no response as his call so he goes over to the closed coffin and raps on it, a staccato beat in time with his voice.

“Sa. Ku. Ma. Se. N. Pa. I.” he says, slightly louder, and at this he gets a response in the form of a long groan and the coffin lid creaking open.

“Mm?” Rei says, rubbing at his eyes slightly as he sits up, still looking slightly bleary despite the sun being low in the sky by now. “What is it, my child.”

Hinata rests against the coffin, half sitting on the rim and letting his legs swing out.

“There’s something I need to discuss… An _issue_ I’ve been having recently.” Hinata manages to get out. He’s nervous; this sure is rough.

“Oh? Then I am, as they say, all ears.” Rei says, looking far more awake at the prospect, and he is indeed holding his hands up to cup his ears, with a vague flapping motion which Hinata chuckles at.

“It’s—” Hinata stops, the grin on his face slipping before he replaces it again. “Haha, you know what, it’s fine. This was a bad idea. Sorry for waking you up, Sakuma-senpai!” He says, urging fake cheer and singsong into his voice while eyeing the door and wondering just how fast it would be to take a page out of Mitsuru’s book and dash dash away.

Rei holds up his hand though, as if to stop him.

“I won’t pretend to know the circumstances of your predicament nor implore you to share if that is not your wish, however you should know that you can, of course, always come to me for aid with no judgement.” He says seriously before a half smirk lights onto his face.

“Though, perhaps if you were in need of someone to hide a body, then Isara-kun would benefit from your confidence more than I.”

Hinata nearly falls off the coffin.

“Geez, Sakuma-senpai! It’s not that bad! I think.” Well, honestly as far as the criminal offenses go he’s pretty sure that being in love with your brother maybe isn’t as bad as murder. Maybe. Oh god, is it? Okay, he still isn’t quite sure, but it as least lightens the mood enough in comparison that he feels more relaxed. “It’s about Yuuta-kun.”

“Ah, little brothers certainly do cause their share of troubles, don’t they? Just what is it about Yuuta-kun that seems to be the issue?” Rei hums thoughtfully and Hinata thinks how easy to get wrapped up in his pace and easy charisma that even his nerves start to melt just a bit. 

It makes it easier too, for Hinata to say what he really means, the words tumbling out fast and heavy.

“It’s not Yuuta-kun that’s the problem, it’s me, I—” Hinata gulps, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. “I think I love him. Please don’t kick me out of the club?”

When Hinata finally looks up from examining his feet (Were his shoes always that attractive? What a nice colour. Shoe lace bows sure are something, the absolute height of modern innovation.) he finds Rei smiling softly at him before he reaches out a hand to fluff at Hinata’s hair.

“H-hey! Sakuma-senpai!” Hinata whines, straightening out his bangs with a huff when Rei pulls away. Out of all the reactions he’d expected to get though, he thinks that maybe this one isn’t so bad.

“I have no plans on kicking you out of the club, Hinata-kun.” Rei says. “Rather, had you plans to leave for reasons such as that, I have been practicing my dramatic crying and clinging. Ritsu tells me it’s very annoying, so I should hope it will serve as a good motivator. And besides—” Rei gives a wave of his hand, “I’d have to kick myself out too, would I not.”

Hinata blinks. 

It’s not exactly a secret, Rei’s thing for his little brother, but they’re idols and Hinata doesn’t put much stock in presentation and rumours, honestly. He knows what it’s like to put on a show. Having it confirmed is another thing entirely, even though that was exactly why he’d sought out Rei in the first place. 

“So are you two…” Hinata trails off. It’s not the sort of thing you just ask people, is it? The whole ‘are you fucking your brother’ thing.

Rei doesn’t seem to mind, however. In fact, he looks downright cheery at the prospect, grinning from ear to ear with his sharp fangs.

“Well, Ritsu might be mad at me for saying so. Surely you understand the need for discretion in such a public field. However, It’s only fair for me to confirm it since you’ve already revealed your hand. A secret for a secret, no?”

“Yeah.” Hinata breathes out. “Yeah, okay. I won’t tell anyone; you got it!”

“Good boy, good boy.” Rei says and reaches out to ruffle his hair again, only now Hinata is prepared and scoots just out of his reach.

“Nope~” he grins at Rei’s very obvious and put on pout. “I win this time, Sakuma-senpai!”

“So you do.” Rei says, dropping his act. “Then, in exchange for your hard won victory, you are free to ask me anything you like and I will be honest with you.”

“Hmm…” Hinata hums to himself, thinking a bit. There’s a lot that he wants to know, really, things he couldn’t even dream of asking anyone else. It’s that little burning hope in his chest that wins out though, over anything more practical.

“How did you two… get together?” He asks, making a linking gesture with his fingers.

Rei chuckles a bit at that.

“Ah, I’m afraid it won’t be very helpful to your situation. You see, my dear Ritsu pushed me up against a wall. He was very forward. it was entirely too charming; I felt this old lifeless heart of mine skip a beat.”

Hm, that’s a little bit too convenient, isn’t it? Yuuta would never… Oh, but just thinking of such a bold Yuuta makes Hinata want to blush and smile dreamily. Yuuta really is the cutest brother in the world, especially when he’s acting like the older one; it’s no wonder Hinata fell for him.

He shakes his head a bit though. Nope, his fantasies about Yuuta definitely aren’t helpful here. Or anywhere, actually. Get it together, Aoi Hinata.

“Haha, I don’t think that’s going to happen. I don’t want to push Yuuta-kun up against a wall either?”

Well, he does, but perhaps not right away. They can work up to it. Is it too hopeful to think that, when he doesn’t even know if Yuuta will still want to look at him after all this.

Rei hums, giving Hinata a look that he can’t quite place.

“Perhaps it’s best to think about what you want then.” Rei says.

It’s something Hinata has thought about a lot while he’s been trying to find his resolve. He wants everything to change. He wants everything to stay the same. He’s still trying to convince himself that it’s okay for him to want anything at all. 

“I just want to be with Yuuta-kun.” Hinata says, his hands gripping against the wood of the coffin until the knuckles turn white.

Rei offers him a warm smile, moving to drape his blazer around Hinata’s shoulders.

“Then however your dear Yuuta-kun responds, I hope you can be happy.”

Happiness seems like a far off thing, something selfish and scary and strange, something that belongs to everyone who isn’t named Aoi Hinata, but he can’t help but innocently wish for it to be his as well.

-

It’s even later when Hinata does actually head home. The hours spent chatting with Rei made him feel more secure, but the darkness that surrounds him as he walks back eats at him. There’s an emptiness in his chest that the warmth of Rei’s borrowed jacket does little to fix. He’s not sure anything can fix it really, but it’s easier to forget when he’s stuffing every waking moment with excitement and chatter and blinding optimism.

Here though, there’s no one to perform for and no mirrors to show him his face. Maybe it should be a relief, but all it does is make him antsy, his fingers drumming against his thigh, playing out the rhythm of their latest song. He feels off and out of place, like he doesn’t know who he should be without cues and acting. Just who is he anyway? He’s patched and replaced so many pieces of himself that there might as well be nothing left. 

Maybe he doesn’t even have the right to call himself Aoi Hinata anymore.

Yuuta deserves more than that, doesn’t he? Far more than his patchwork and pile of scraps. More than some broken toy pretending to be his brother. 

-

Hinata fishes for his keys in his pocket, finally arriving on the doorstep of their house.

“Yuuta-kun! I’m home!” He calls out, opening the door, but instead of the usual ‘Welcome back, Aniki’ that he’s come to expect the house is strangely silent.

Hm, that’s strange. Yuuta’s shoes are there in the entryway and the porchlight was on, so he should be home.

“Yuuta-kun?” He asks again to no response, making his way to the kitchen. There’s no Yuuta, but there is something on the table, a little brown bag with a folded note attached to it in Yuuta’s handwriting, a little sloppy for all that he tries to present himself as proper.

The outside of the note reads _Hinata-kun_.

“Oh? Well if it’s to me, I should read it, right?” Hinata says to himself, pulling the note off the bag carefully so that it doesn’t rip from the cheap tape and unfolding it.

_Hinata-kun,_

_I stayed up a little too late watching anime with Shinobu-kun last night,_

Hinata laughs. That’s right, he’d been livestreaming with Shinobu, hadn’t he? There was apparently some kind of event going on that lasted well into the morning and he’d seen the effect of it in Yuuta’s dark circles this morning before he’d helped him cover them up with concealer.

_so I think I’m going to go to bed early tonight. You said you were going to be late today, so I stopped by to see Master on the way home and get something for dinner. Sorry, I don’t think we can have dinner together tonight, but I picked out something for you. You used to like this, right?_

_Yuuta_

Hinata unwraps the bag, wondering what Yuuta could have picked out for him. Sweet and sour pork, maybe? Honey chicken? If it’s a really big event maybe Yuuta got him some Peking duck with sweet bean sauce~

Which is why he’s so surprised to find a small container of spicy chili prawns.

Ah.

He feels like he might cry.

It’s strange, after years of holding it in and pretending, that this is what gets to him: this quiet acknowledgement of the things Aoi Hinata likes packaged up in a crinkled paper bag and a reused plastic container. Knowing Yuuta picked it out for him makes his chest feel warm.

He loves Yuuta-kun. He loves him so much.

The first bite makes him gag, but Hinata manages to eat all of it through several glasses of water to swallow down the spice. It’s hard, the way it singes his tongue and the spice sticks to his cheeks. It’s been a long time, after all— a long time spent watching Yuuta eat all of the things that made them both happy in his place. 

Maybe it’s for the best that Yuuta doesn’t know this either, that Hinata can’t eat the things he loved like he used to, that he’s not even sure what it is he likes anymore. He’s sure he’ll tell him one day, but for now he wants to try to enjoy this. After all, even though it hurts, it tastes so familiar.

It really is delicious.

-

Hinata does the dishes from his meal while humming a song, bouncing on his feet as he puts them on the drying rack to put away later. It’s getting pretty late, but he still has a spring in his step and a bit of an ache in his tongue: an energy vibrating through him that he doesn’t really have a way to channel when all he wants in that moment is to pick up Yuuta and twirl him around and kiss him silly. It’s a thought that makes him giggle, his chest feeling just a little lighter. 

He makes his way down the hall to their shared room, slowly pushing the door open so it doesn’t creak, the light from the hallway illuminating a thin rectangle that scatters just enough for him to make out Yuuta’s sleeping face in the darkness. He’s resting peacefully, not a nightmare to be seen, and it makes Hinata smile and he carefully sits on the edge of Yuuta’s bed, watching the rise and fall of his chest.

Hinata reaches out to brush aside one of the strands of hair that’s fallen in front of Yuuta’s face, his fingers trailing over his cheek, feeling the soft sleep warmth of Yuuta’s skin. He looks beautiful like this, Hinata thinks. Even though they have the same face, Yuuta always seemed to glow. Looking at him like this makes Hinata’s fingertips tingle with the urge to touch, makes his heart jump and thud, makes him long to steal just one kiss. He really does love him. He loves him. 

He loves him.

“Don’t hate me, okay, Yuuta-kun?” Hinata whispers, quietly, so quietly that it’s barely a breath.

“I don’t hate you.” Yuuta mumbles and Hinata feels himself jump, trying to draw his hand back only to find it’s been caught by Yuuta’s, his fingers warm and lazy with sleep wrapping around his wrist in a gentle grip.

“Y-Yuuta-kun??? Weren’t you asleep?” Hinata stutters out, eyes wide with surprise as he tries to calm down. It’s not like he was caught doing anything scandalous!

“Mm, you were being loud…” Yuuta mumbles, blinking an eye open and turning on his side to face Hinata.

“I was whispering?” Hinata can’t help but pout.

“Your whole presence is loud.” Yuuta says, looking him over in a way that makes Hinata fidget, chewing on his lip.

“Sorry, Yuuta-kun. I’ll be quiet, that way you can get plenty of sleep, right?” Hinata turns to his own bed, but Yuuta’s grip is still firm on his wrist.

“That’s not what I meant…” Yuuta sighs and pulls Hinata down a little more, Hinata following Yuuta’s hand until he finds himself enveloped in his arms, holding him gently as they lay across him, heavy with sleep.

“Yuuta-kun?” Hinata asks, a little breathless, a little hopeful, his heart stuck somewhere in his throat. He hopes Yuuta doesn’t know why.

“Stay, Hinata-kun.” Yuuta says, closing his eyes once again.

There’s no way he can resist that, can he? How long has it even been since they shared a bed together? Far too long, he’s sure, even though there’s nowhere he’d rather be than Yuuta’s arms. He’s missed this, just the casual comfort of Yuuta’s presence and how natural it is to be by his side. It makes it easy to settle in, letting himself nestle against Yuuta’s neck and share in his warmth, even while his heart is still beating so fast.

-

When Hinata wakes up the next morning the other side of the bed is cold. It’s rare that Yuuta wakes up before him; usually Hinata gets him up, rolling out of bed early to do his morning chores and give Yuuta a few more minutes. Yuuta really isn’t a morning person, but it’s cute to watch him drowsily sit up with that dazed expression of his, making a mess of the buttons on his uniform with uncoordinated fingers before Hinata helps him out. Yep, morning Yuuta is definitely one of his top five Yuutas!

But today, it’s not like that. It’s not a school day, so Hinata didn’t have an alarm set to wake him up, but he hadn’t expected to sleep in quite so much that Yuuta left him there. Ah, really, he might pout. Hinata misses Yuuta’s arms around him already.

Hinata stretches and rolls into a sitting position on the bed, the fabric of his button up pulling tight across his back as he moves his arms. Oh, that’s right, he hadn’t had the opportunity to change into his comfortable clothes, had he? Not when Yuuta had taken his hand before he’d even had the chance to get ready for bed, after all. Hinata really should hang it up before it gets more wrinkled, even if at this point it might be a lost cause. A night spent in Yuuta’s arms is definitely worth a bit more laundry though, so it was for a good cause.

He smells something though, now that he’s awake enough to notice, and hears the faint clink of metal from downstairs, just loud enough to distract him from his thoughts. 

It smells… 

Sweet.

Hinata follows the scent to the kitchen, opening the door to find Yuuta in an apron, his hair tied back in a low ponytail.

“Oh, good timing, Hinata-kun. Do you think you can flip the french toast? I’ve got my hands full right now.” Yuuta says, frowning very pointedly at an egg in the pan he’s holding and nudging it with the tip of a spatula.

“Yep, you got it!” Hinata says, after just a moment’s pause, sliding into an easy rhythm by Yuuta’s side, they way they always do when they cook together. Out of the corner of his eye he watches Yuuta nudge the pan again with a sigh before tipping what looks like charcoal out into the trash bin.

It’s not like Yuuta is bad at cooking though, so it hits Hinata as strange… Usually they’d put some congee in the rice cooker for breakfast, with Yuuta vastly preferring it to the sweets and western meal he’s cooking now. It’s a lot to take on by himself, after all.

Hinata is distracted by the sizzling of his own pan, giving it a shake and a practiced flip to make sure the toast doesn’t get too crispy. Ah, that’s no good. He should focus. Wasting food is a crime, right?

It isn’t long before they’ve both got everything prepared and laid out on the table, involving only a few more pans and Yuuta’s proud look at a plate of perfect eggs. They work well together, after all. They always do.

Hinata digs into his food excitedly, chewing with an exaggerated relish. He’s expecting sweetness, the cloying stick of sugar and syrup to his lips that he’s had to train himself to like, but it’s strange— it’s not really sweet at all. Just a hint of sugar that makes Hinata pause before swallowing down the rest of the bite.

“Is it good?”

Hinata’s eyes snap up to look at Yuuta, who’s watching him intently, chin balanced on his palms.

“Y-yep!” Hinata says, covering up the surprise he feels the best he can. “Of course it’s good! Yuuta-kun’s cooking always makes me smile, after all!”

Yuuta lets out a relieved sigh that Hinata finds all too endearing.

“I spent a while looking for a good recipe this morning, so I’m glad it turned out okay. Usually Hinata-kun is the one who makes things like this.” He offers a sheepish smile. “Ah, I guess you did this time too.”

Huh? Did Yuuta put that much effort into this? Was it a special occasion?

“No no, Yuuta-kun did a lot!” Hinata exclaims happily, taking another bite. “I can feel Yuuta-kun’s love coming through!”

Yuuta laughs, high and melodic.

It’s the sound Hinata loves the most.

“Sure, if you say so, Hinata-kun.”

They eat quietly after that, just the sounds of the birds out the window and the scaping of cutlery against the plates. It’s a familiar silence, a simple pleasure of having a simple meal together.

“Hey, Hinata-kun?”

Yuuta’s voice is soft and light.

“Mm?” Hinata hums, still distracted by his own food.

“Why do you think I’d hate you?”

Hinata has to grip his fork so hard his knuckles turn white to keep it from clattering.

He swallows. His chest feels so hot.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about, Yuuta-kun! I’m doing great! In tip top shape, even! Not a care in the world! So it’s fi—”

“Aniki.” Yuuta cuts him off.

It’s the first time today that he’s called him that, isn’t it?

Hinata bites his lip, searching for something to say, something Yuuta will believe.

It used to be easier to lie to Yuuta.

He did it every day, after all.

Hinata jumps when he feels Yuuta’s hands clasp over his own, the distance of the table feeling so short now. Yuuta’s fingers are warm and again Hinata thinks he can feel Yuuta’s heartbeat through them, connecting them in a matching rhythm.

“You don’t have to say but… I’d never hate you, Hinata-kun? So I want to know if there’s something bothering you. I want to know you— all the good things and all the bad things. I know I’m not all that dependable yet, but I’m here for you. So, at the very least, I don’t want you to tell me it’s nothing.”

Hinata breathes out. He’s certain if he looked up he would see Yuuta’s eyes staring back, honest and glittering, the same shade as his own, that same soft green like melon soda.

But it’s so hard to look.

“Hey, Yuuta-kun?” Hinata says, keeping his voice steady.

“What is it, Hinata-kun?” Yuuta asks softly, his thumb rubbing over the back of Hinata’s hand with a gentle pressure, keeping Hinata grounded.

“If I told you I loved you, what would you do?” Steady, steady.

The rubbing of Yuuta’s thumb doesn’t stop: around and around in a small circle.

“I’d tell you I love you too then.” Yuuta says, like it’s something given.

They’re the words he wants to hear so desperately, but it’s wrong. The words don’t have the right meaning. Yuuta would never say them how Hinata wants. 

Hinata gives him a small smile.

“Yuuta-kun sure is kind… Yep, I love you too! I love you so much, Yuuta-kun! You’re my treasure! But you don’t understand at all, huh. That’s not what I mean. Yuuta-kun’s love and my love are something different.”

Ah, this was a bad idea, wasn’t it?

Hinata moves to get up from the table, but Yuuta catches him, still holding on to his hand tightly and meeting his gaze when Hinata looks up.

“If I don’t understand… then explain it to me.” Yuuta says, something so earnest in his eyes. “No matter what, I’ll listen. So don’t run away again, Hinata-kun.”

“...And if I want to? If I want to run and pretend this didn’t happen.”

He’s sure he could. Yuuta’s grip isn’t binding. Hinata is just a little faster.

He could stay over at Tetora’s house, greet his mom with a smile, play at being a normal boy with a normal heart until it almost becomes real.

“Then I’ll chase after you. I won’t let you go.” Yuuta says, like he can’t think of doing anything else.

Hinata laughs. High and just a bit too loud, little tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

“You’re really so stubborn, aren’t you, Yuuta-kun. Straight forward and dedicated and too honest for your own good…”

His smile hurts his cheeks, pulling at the corners. It feels more like a grimace.

“But it’s those things that made me fall for you, you know.”

Hinata watches Yuuta’s face, his mouth, his eyes, looking for something to tell him what Yuuta is feeling, but it’s strange. Was Yuuta always this hard to read?

“You fell for me...?” Yuuta asks quietly, almost thoughtfully, as if testing the words out in his mouth.

He wonders what Yuuta will say. Will he be angry? Shocked? Disgusted? That’s fine, of course. After all, whatever punishment Yuuta brings down on him is what he deserves.

“Mn, that’s right. My love for Yuuta-kun is the kind where I want to hug you close and go on dates with you. Just like any normal couple anywhere.”

Hinata’s hands are still warm under Yuuta’s and he doesn’t dare pull them back to break their contact, not now, but he’s surprised when Yuuta squeezes them warmly in his and softly asks—

“What else?”

“Eh?” Hinata breathes out.

“What else do you want Hinata-kun? Tell me?” Yuuta questions, offering him a gentle smile.

It’s strange. This isn’t how Hinata’s dreams usually go.

“I… I want to hold your hands. I want to kiss you. I want to do things with you.” Hinata says, the words tumbling out a little too fast.

“Things?”

Yuuta raises an eyebrow.

“You know like. In bed…”

“Ah.”

Hinata feels his face burning to match the blush he sees blossoming on Yuuta’s cheeks, but even when he says that, Yuuta still doesn’t let him go, instead giving Hinata’s hands another squeeze as he regains a bit of his composure.

“Anything else?” Yuuta asks again.

Hinata swallows. Of course he’s thought about it, about everything he wants with Yuuta, but he’s never had to say it out loud. He never thought he would need to.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to marry you, Yuuta-kun.”

Hinata can feel his heart beating in his chest, in his ears, especially too loud as Yuuta links Hinata’s fingers with his own.

“Hmm…” Yuuta hums quietly to himself before nodding. “Okay. I can work with that. It’ll be pretty difficult to get married though. I’ve been looking into it recently, for if we want to travel abroad, but… Well we’ll get there when we get there, right?”

“H-huh? Yuuta-kun?” Hinata blinks at him.

He was looking things up? Why would he need to…

“You know, Aniki, we’re twins so it’s not like we’re dissimilar or anything. No, maybe you were wrong from the start… My love is the same as yours.”

Yuuta’s still blushing, but his words are firm and assured.

“I love you too, Hinata-kun.”

Hinata feels a giggle bubbling up in his chest, a manic giddiness that he can’t force down until he’s overwhelmed by it.

“H-hey, don’t laugh.” 

Yuuta pouts at him, moving back to unlink their hands, but Hinata follows him, almost jumping into Yuuta’s lap and making Yuuta fumble to catch him, wrapping Hinata in his arms as Hinata nuzzles into his neck.

“Hey, hey, Yuuta-kun?” Hinata says, his words muffled by Yuuta’s shirt.

“What is it, Hinata-kun?” Yuuta asks, running his fingers through Hinata’s hair.

“I love you.” Hinata answers, leaning his face back with a playful smile on his lips. “But Oniichan has been so troubled this whole time! ...Make it up to me, okay?”

“I guess I’ve got no other choice.” Yuuta says, pressing his lips to Hinata’s in a soft kiss.

It’s Hinata’s first kiss and he thinks it’s Yuuta’s too, warm but unpracticed.

That’s alright, though. They have forever to work on making things right, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> "In the metaphysics of identity, the ship of Theseus is a thought experiment that raises the question of whether an object that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object."
> 
> -from wikipedia


End file.
